Devontae Shuler family ready for second homecoming, this time for NCAA Tournament

Like a lot of basketball fans in the country, Donnella Shuler waited in anticipation when the bracket for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament was unveiled.

That anticipation turned to excitement when it was revealed that Ole Miss would be coming to play in Columbia this weekend. The Rebels play Oklahoma on Friday at 12:40 p.m. in the first game at Colonial Life Arena.

This means Donnella gets to see her brother Devontae Shuler, a sophomore guard for the Ole Miss basketball team, play in the Midlands again. Devontae Shuler played his first three years at Irmo High School before finishing at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.

“We were hoping Ole Miss was going to be here,” Donnella said. “I kept checking all week at the projections and all of them said they were probably going to be there. Now we know he is going to be here, it is going to be crazy. We all are so happy for Devontae. We are all going to be decked out and going to be there.”

Now the hard part begins: trying to get tickets for Friday’s game and then Sunday if the Rebels advance. Each player is guaranteed four tickets to a game, but they are hoping to get more from Shuler’s teammates not using their allotment. If that doesn’t work out, they will start buying whatever tickets they can get their hands on for Friday.

Donnella said there were 42 friends and family members, many wearing Shuler No. 2 or Ole Miss T-shirts, for when the Rebels played at South Carolina on Feb. 19. Devontae had six points in 35 minutes in the 79-64 loss but has played well in the Rebels’ last four games despite still dealing with the effects of a stress fracture injury.

Shuler had 18 points, including a highlight-reel steal and dunk, against Missouri on March 9. It was most points he’s had in a Southeastern Conference game. For the season, he is averaging 10.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3 assists per game.

“He is awesome. He is very athletic and a great two-way player. He can play defense and he showed jumping ability in that game against Missouri,” Donnella said of her younger brother.

Devontae won’t be the only member of his family playing in a postseason game this week. Dontrell Shuler, a freshman at Charleston Southern, will play in a CollegeInsider.com tournament game against Florida Atlantic on Thursday. The Shulers are a family who loves basketball with all eight children playing the game. Dominique Shuler, Devontae’s older brother, is playing professionally in Canada.

“We were all eight ballers and true to the game,” said Donnella, who played at Dutch Fork. “We love the game of basketball and it is has been a huge part of all our lives.

NCAA Tournament Columbia game schedule

The NCAA Tournament in Columbia schedule for Friday’s games (with Sunday’s second round game times to be announced).

South Region

(8) Ole Miss vs. (9) Oklahoma, 12:40 p.m. Friday (truTV)

(1) Virginia vs. (16) Gardner-Webb, Approximately 3 p.m. Friday (truTV)

East Region

(1) Duke vs. (16) NC Central-North Dakota State winner, 7:10 p.m. Friday (CBS)

(8) VCU vs. (9) UCF, Approximately 9:40 p.m. Friday (CBS)

This story was originally published March 19, 2019 at 2:12 PM.